About Me

Friday, February 27, 2009

I just got back from a trip to Tijuana and San Diego! This was my first big trip since I got home from my big around-the-USA trip last spring.

My church, Union Church, sponsored a trip to Tijuana through "Homes Without Boundaries" to build a home for a qualified family. Since I signed up to go, I decided to spend a few days afterward in San Diego where I have some family.A group of about 15 of us flew down to San Diego on Wednesday 2/18, stayed at La Jolla Presbyterian in La Jolla on Wednesday night, then drove down to Tijuana on Thursday morning. On Thursday, we worked on mixing the concrete in the foundation forms. It included a lot of shoveling and mixing- it's hard work! After work was completed on Thursday, we headed to a local orphanage that has been hosting groups like ours for years.

On Friday, we started working on the framing and painting the siding. By the end of the day on Friday, we had the walls up. On Saturday, we worked on putting up the roof and windows.

On Sunday, we came in to finish the roofing work and install bunk beds for the children. We took pictures, then said our goodbyes and headed for home.

Kudos to the folks on the team who really knew what to do! (Most of us were grunts :) What an amazing experience joining together to help folks in need.

I stayed with my Uncle Butch in San Diego from Sunday until I headed home on Thursday. I had a great time visiting my cousins Eric & Susan, Uncle Dick & Aunt Suzie and Aunt Joyce & Uncle Maurice. I really feel at home in San Diego, it's a beautiful part of the country.

Monday, February 16, 2009

I attended my first protest today. A group of concerned citizens met down at Westlake Park in downtown Seattle today starting around noon (With all the appropriate permits), to protest the Federal Boondoggle knows as the 2009 "Stimulus Bill". On the conservative side of the isle, it's know as "Porkulus" or "Spendulus". I estimated the crowd at 125 to 150 or so.

The protest was mainly peaceful, with 2 fairly minor exceptions. 1, a Lib took the stage uninvited and started shouting something to the effect "Where were you in the last 6 years under Bush?". He was convinced to leave the stage, totally non-physically (as far as I saw). There was another heckler there, shouting comments from the side, eating the free food donated by Michelle Malkin. When he left, he left his garbage on the steps. When someone nicely asked him to take it, he said to the effect, "No Way!"